Zipang, 1990.
Directed by Kaizō Hayashi.
Starring Masahiro Takashima, Narumi Yasuda, Shirô Sano, Bengal, Mikio Narita, and Mikijirô Hira.
SYNOPSIS:
A samurai outlaw on the run with his motley clan falls for the bounty hunter who’s trailing him to the untold riches of a mythical city of gold.
Jigoku (Masahiro Takashima) is an outlaw samurai looking to score his next haul of gold but he and his gang of ne’er-do-wells are the target of Yuri the Pistol (Narumi Yasuda), so called because of her talents with a handgun. Yuri is not the only bounty hunter after Jigoku but she is the only one that he falls in love with, although she has vowed to bring him in and collect the reward no matter what.
Zipang is a fantasy adventure set in a mythical world that is based on feudal Japan, but with elements of sci-fi and even steampunk with its depictions of future tech which gives it an added edge. Not that it really needs one as this is a movie that begins at breakneck speed and barely lets up for the 118-minute running time, opening with Yuri the Pistol introducing herself to Jigoku in a Western-style standoff.
It is an enjoyable scene and the manic energy in the direction and acting is almost palpable, but the movie soon shifts tone when Jigoku discovers the location of a priceless golden sword – which doesn’t look like a sword, but that’s what they call it – and retrieves it, awakening an ancient evil in the form of the King of Zipang (Mikijirô Hira). Zipang is a world where the rotten old king ruthlessly rules over his riches, and when he takes an interest in Yuri it prompts Jigoku and his gang to try and rescue her from his clutches, which then leads us to several scenes of spectral ninjas on the attack, limbs being sliced and blood spurting everywhere, and the message of love conquering all hammered home with all the subtlety of the stroke of a magical golden sword.
Yes, Zipang is one of those Japanese martial arts fantasy movies that is completely mental and goes on for far too long. The plot is inconsequential really as the action is so frenetic and well-staged, but much like the actors onscreen it runs out of steam after so long and by the time it comes to the final act and the romance side of the story takes precedence – during which the action slows down, but only by a little – you can’t help but want it to end.
Nevertheless, this new Blu-ray from Arrow Video subsidiary Toy Robot looks fantastic as Zipang is a strikingly colourful film, and for 1990 it still has the feel of the classic martial arts movies of the 1970s, only it looks better. The disc is light on extras, featuring only a trailer and audio commentary by Jasper Sharp and Joe Hickinbottom, but after being immersed in the world of Zipang and its weirdness for a couple of hours you probably don’t need any more of it. A fun and vibrant movie to be sure, but Zipang is almost too energetic for its own good and outstays its welcome long before it is finally over.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
